Um Medical School Gets $5 Million

October 31, 2002|By Nancy McVicar Health Writer and date> and /date>

Miami — A $5 million gift from the Braman Family Foundation announced Wednesday at the University of Miami School of Medicine will be used to establish a state-of-the-art breast cancer research institute, and to hire top scientists to search for a cure.

Irma Braman said when the family decided to expand its philanthropy into medical research, there was very little discussion about what the target should be.

"Breast cancer affects so many relatives and friends of ours, there was really no other decision to make," she said. "I have a sister and a friend who are going through it right now."

She and husband Norman, chairman of auto dealerships in Miami, Tampa and Denver, met several times to discuss their intentions with, among others, Dr. John Clarkson, dean of the school of medicine; Dr. Jerry Goodwin, director of the university's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Joseph Rosenblatt, scientific director at UM/Sylvester.

"The Bramans set the bar so high, and the initiative came from their heart. It was clear to me I would have to recruit a `franchise player' to lead the effort," Rosenblatt said.

He was able to lure from the University of Toronto Dr. Joyce Slingerland, a widely published 44-year-old breast cancer researcher and physician, to head the new Braman Breast Center Institute.

"She has done some of the best research in the world in what we call the cell-cycle regulators in breast cancer," Rosenblatt said.

"We share a vision that breast cancer can be cured and eradicated," said Slingerland, who arrived in South Florida in late August and is recruiting additional clinical faculty, including two cancer specialists, one or two breast radiologists and an additional breast surgeon.

Eight more faculty scientists, including a molecular epidemiologist and a molecular pathologist, also will be hired to work on different aspects of breast cancer research.

"Many of the women receiving treatment at our center develop a very aggressive form of breast cancer at a younger age," she said. If researchers can find markers for their disease at the genetic level, that may lead to new diagnostic tests as well as generate new ways to treat the cancer, Slingerland said.

The new research scientists, including Slingerland, will begin moving into new lab space in the Batchelor Children's Research Institute on campus in about two weeks.

Patients will continue to be treated at UM/Sylvester.

Dean Clarkson said the university will raise an additional $8 million for work at the new institute, to match the Bramans' gift.

"Norman and Irma Braman's generous gift will lead to important innovations in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment," he said.

Nancy McVicar can be reached at nmcvicar@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4593.